Unfair
by LoLoGreeneVines
Summary: He will not allow her to change his mind.


**Author's notes: Once again the asexual 22-year-old woman attempts to get inside the brain of a demi teenage boy. Ho hum.**

 **This time, I'm rubbing my grubby little shipper hands all over chapter 586. 586 was a great chapter for Orihime, I remember reading it about a year ago and thinking "YES KUBO THIS IS WHERE I WANT ORIHIME'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TO BE GOING" because for once she was actually showing concern for her good friend who is clearly in a very bad place, rather than just falling over Ichigo. So then Kubo naturally felt the need to draw a couple of chapters of alienating boob jokes and spend the next year causing the poor girl to take several steps backwards to counter the one she had taken forwards. *Sigh***

 **SO I thought that if Kubo won't give her any development, I WILL, in an AU. And because this is me, it's very shippy. :D**

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Uryu winced, suddenly and unexpectedly blinded by a bright flash of light as a shining golden barrier materialised in front of his own arrows, and his heart sank as he realised she was here.

No. No. No no no _no NO._

He narrowed his eyes and squinted up at the newly-opened Garganta to see Orihime and Chad surveying the scene. After a second, Chad silently stared straight ahead, but Orihime stood, her hands still outstretched, and looked at Uryu with the most earnest expression he had ever seen in those doe-like eyes.

"Uryu..." she said, her tone conveying such sadness that he almost wanted to abandon Yhwach right there to hug Orihime and reassure her that everything would be all right, even though it wouldn't.

Almost.

Uryu stared at her delicate features for a brief moment before Yhwach's harsh voice dragged him from his reverie.

"Uryu, Let us go."

Uryu trained his eyes on the ground.

"Have you said your goodbyes?"

"Yes," he confirmed, letting his hair fall into his face, the better to stop him from witnessing Orihime's stricken expression.

"This is the last chance you will ever have," Yhwach warned.

"I am well aware," Uryu retorted, careful to mask the bitingly frosty tone the words had had inside his head.

He turned away as Ichigo started shouting, but the sound of Orihime's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Uryu, wait," she said, the sound ringing out clearly as her feet touched down on the solid roof of the icy tower. Blinking in astonishment, Uryu nearly screamed at her to get as far away from his boss as she possibly could, but his voice deserted him as her feet carried her steadily forward to where he was standing.

For the first time, he got a good look at Orihime's new outfit, and he nearly winced in embarrassment for her; Hueco Mundo clearly had no trained tailors.

Uryu suddenly felt a soft hand against his cheek and reminded himself to look at her face. Doing so, he noticed that her expression was as sad as he felt, but there was a mature understanding in it. At some point in the last few months, Orihime had grown up; just two years ago she would probably have been bawling her eyes out.

"Is there anything I can say to get you to change your mind?" she asked, quietly, looking steadily into Uryu's eyes.

He tried to open his mouth to respond, but as surely as his vision was blurring with unwanted tears he had lost the ability to string two words together. He forlornly shook his head, acutely aware that Yhwach was growing impatient.

Orihime frowned, before leaning forwards and gently pressing her mouth to his in a kiss.

Uryu immediately held his breath and pinned his arms to his sides, fighting the impulse to throw them around her and pull her closer. Didn't she understand how difficult she was making this for him? If he had any other option but to go with Yhwach, he would have gladly welcomed this; he had been imagining the feeling of her hands in his hair, the sensation of her lips on his, practically since the day he had met her, and now it was more than just a daydream the circumstances prevented him from responding in any way. This was just unfair.

After a few seconds, Orihime pulled away, and Uryu opened the eyes he was thoroughly unaware of closing in the first place. Orihime smiled sadly at him, looking into his eyes as though she could read his decision in them.

"I guess I couldn't do anything to change your mind, either," she whispered, and her hand slid away from his cheek. He nearly lost his resolve right then and there, but he caught himself before he could take her falling hand, and somehow managed to remain motionless.

"Just promise me one thing," said Orihime, holding Uryu's gaze. "Whatever happens, don't lose yourself. I couldn't bear it."

And with that, she gave him one last sad smile, but he turned away before he could see it. Vaguely aware that Ichigo was making a racket down at the bottom of the tower, he gave a stiff nod to the waiting Yhwach and they disappeared in a flash of light.

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 **More author's notes: If you've ever read my fanfiction before, you'll probably have noticed that I tend to shy away from writing actual kisses. This is because I have never experienced one and was terrified of stuffing it up. But then I thought screw it, I've never experienced physical or romantic attraction before either and I write those all the time, and it fits with the concept of this story, so. *Cartwheels off into the sunset (or rather sunrise because it's currently 4:30 am in late June)***


End file.
